With League One and League Two already underway for the 2025-26 season, it is now time for the Championship, which kicks off on Friday evening with the match between Birmingham City and Ipswich Town. Leicester City, Ipswich, and Southampton return to the Championship after just one year in the Premier League, as does Birmingham after a brief spell in League One.
Wrexham and Charlton Athletic are the other newly promoted teams. Every team dreams of reaching the riches and glamour of the Premier League, so who will be the three promoted teams in 2025-26?
Last year, Leeds United and Burnley were two of the three favorites for promotion according to the Opta supercomputer, although the same model also predicted Sunderland to finish 21st (they were eventually promoted via the playoffs), so surprises are always around the corner. At the same time, it is undeniable that these predictions are a reliable model for navigating the waters of predictions and betting. Defeated by Sunderland in the playoff final at Wembley a few months ago, Sheffield United can consider themselves unlucky not to have secured direct promotion: they were only the third team in Championship history to score 90 points without going up directly. Whether or not they can repeat their success will depend on how well new coach Rubén Sellés — former Reading and Hull City coach, who replaced Chris Wilder — adapts. The supercomputer supports them anyway, with a 41.1% chance of promotion.
Championship, a balanced start
Apart from them, it is very balanced. Leicester, relegated despite an excellent promotion in 2023-24, are aiming to bounce back immediately with new coach Martí Cifuentes, who replaced Ruud van Nistelrooy. Legend Jamie Vardy is also leaving, but they remain second favorites with 16.0%. Ipswich Town has kept Kieran McKenna on the bench after immediate relegation, and this continuity could prove invaluable. Promoted with 96 points in 2023-24, they have retained most of their squad. They have a 15.2% chance of promotion.
Southampton, third of the relegated clubs, has a new coach: Will Still, who is highly regarded in France. Despite last season’s disastrous Premier League campaign (just one point above Derby County’s negative record in 2006-07), the supercomputer sees them as much more competitive in the Championship: 11.2% chance of promotion.
Here is what the model predicts for the top spots:
1st: Sheffield United – average of 80.7 points
2nd: Leicester City – 70.4
3rd: Ipswich Town – 70.4
4th: Coventry City – 68.7
5th: Southampton – 67.2
6th: West Brom – 65.9
7th: Millwall – 65.4
8th: Middlesbrough – 65.4
9th: Bristol City – 65.3
10th: Blackburn Rovers – 63.4
Odds comparison
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